Your curated list of awesomeness

The TDU event sheet has expanded again so we’re back with our annual curation to help you cut through the noise and get around to the most fun happenings. Every year we expect to hit critical-event-mass but every year we’re proven wrong. There’s a lot of familiar events that have grown, and a few cool new ones to pull a crowd. If you’d like to see every darn event at the TDU listed then www.allthetdu.com is the place. For events that we’re planning to get to ourselves (the ultimate boon for any event) then read on!

Before we kick off, there’s some key things to know:

CARPARK CLIMB

There isn’t one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

WEATHER

At time of writing (Tuesday morning) it looks horrendously hot with mid-thirties nudging close to 40 most of the TDU period. My weather guru has made a grim forecast for it staying very hot for the whole week. On the plus side, most of the great events listed below happen in the late afternoon and evening.

Godspeed brave cyclists! Ride early, eat and drink all day, and partaaaay all night.

POP-UPS

All the usual suspects are back to punish your legs, liver and wallet in 2019. In all cases there’s group rides, food, drink, and kit to buy. Head on over to their Facebook pages to learn more:

TOUR VILLAGE

The TDU Race Organisation has (awesomely) decided to get into the evening event action around the Tour Village and there’s a diverse range of events to lure people into their outdoor mega setup. Opening hours have been extended into the evening which means more access to the delectable food, drinks, and bike expo in there.

MAKER FESTIVAL

We’re teaming up with Treadly Bike Shop to present the MAKER Festival on Sunday 13 and Thursday 17 Jan. It’ll be showcasing a stack of fantastic Aussie brands. Check out our MAKER Festival event page for it and get along to support some awesome brands and splash some cash on their sweet wares. Follow the Facebook Event too where we’ll be announcing all the brands.

FRIDAY 11 JAN

The Advertiser Track Down Under - 7.30 pm

The rubber tubs will be hitting the boards of the Adelaide Superdrome to watch some immense fire power on a Friday night. Headline riders Matthew Glaetzer and Stephanie Morton will be duking it out against some of the top track cycling talent. It’ll be a nice break from the tarmac showcase that is the TDU.

Check out the Facebook event

SUNDAY 13 JAN

The Uraidla Kermesse is always great to watch

Rapha Uraidla Kermesse - 8 am

Norwood Cycling Club (NCC) run a mighty fine Kermesse in the eastern hills a couple of days before the Men’s TDU kicks off properly. The course is beautiful, there’s boatloads of hitters chasing the price money, and there’s a plethora of great places to watch. Ride up and roll down Greenhill Road and you’ll bump into the race course. It’s a painful undulating war of attrition. Take it in, then roll back for MAKER, the final stage of the WTDU and the People’s Choice Classic Criterium.

Head to the NCC Facebook events page

MONDAY 14 JAN

Giant Super Criterium - 5 pm

Get your bike racing fix on the traditional void between the WTDU finishing and the MTDU starting with some crit racing in Vic Park. Like the Sunday Kermesse, NCC will be the host and there’s a big prize money pool with mens and women’s grades:

$2500 cash from Giant Adelaide for Mens A grade placers
- Winner gets $1000, 2nd $650, 3rd $450
$2500 cash from Norwood CC for Womens A grade
- Winner gets $1000, 2nd $650, 3rd $450.

Massive kudos to NCC for running women’s grades and matching the prize money that Giant are putting up for the men’s race.

Check out the Facebook Event

TUESDAY 15 JAN

Focus CXtwiLITE | Peloton at the Port - 4 pm - 8 pm

Port Adelaide CC (PACC) is going full bananas about stage 2 of the MTDU starting and finishing on their hallowed turf and they’re doing what they do best; busting out the tape and treaded tyres for a CX race. It’s all part of the post-race festivities. They’re promising “grass, gravel, bitumen and loose off-camber dirt - and right on the water” and that sounds pretty darn good to us.

Port Road isn’t exactly the funnest place to ride a bike so we encourage people to try the eclectic Outer Harbour Greenway (Check it out on RideWithGPS ) for a longer but more relaxing dawdle out there.

WEDNESDAY 16 JAN

PACC Roller Frenzy XI - 7:15 - 10:45 pm

PACC are back again to put on a banger of a novelty event. Their Roller Frenzy pits two riders side-by-side on trainers and makes them race to a set number of pedal revolutions. It’s exactly as hilarious as you’d imagine as riders spin up to triple-digit cadence and grit their teeth to the finish. There’s a counter behind each rider so you can watch the revs pile up in real time. The Roller Derby brings out some serious weapons; some so powerful it’s hard to keep the bikes and trainers in place while they unleash hell. It’s damn good fun, and in the Tour Village so get along and enjoy the madness.

Check out the Facebook event.

THURSDAY 17 JAN

Beat the Street Time Trial - 7:30 pm

This was a late curve ball thrown into the very full event bag thrown by the people who brought you the carpark climbs. It’s a 2-round hotdog course ITT to determine who’s best at accelerating and cornering without sliding out. It’s right on the Flinders St and King William St intersection and we expect intense heckling as people watch the mates, colleagues, and mortal enemies gurn their way around the 1 km track. Expect some scuffed derailleurs and road rash too because gross city streets aren’t always the grippiest.

We’ll be right next door at MAKER in the Tour Village so come along to that as well!

Check it out on the VTWO website

FRIDAY 18 JAN

Attaquer Hot Laps - 5:30 - 9 pm

Roll back to Vic Park for more crit action on Friday evening where Aussie Kit legends Attaquer are putting on an elite level crit for your entertainment. The South Australian Crit Championships have been bundled in with it, so first SA rider over the line in the men’s and women’s race takes the crown. There’s going to be beer and food trucks too.

Check out the Facebook Event

SATURDAY 19 JAN

Oakley x Zwift - Gold Rush Party

Those who aren’t Zwifted out (speaking of which, read our Zwifters article before you go) can head into the global eyewear giant’s event and escape the heat. There’s free entry and giveaways but, again, it’s inside out of the heat so that’s plenty good enough for us!

Check out the Facebook event

SUNDAY 20 JAN

The race crescendo moving to Sunday means there’s basically no events trying to compete with, or follow after the race. Our advice: pass out somewhere shady. We’ll absolutely be joining you at that.

See you in 2020!